Why Ee for Edge?

Why Ee for Edge? I've been wanting to write this post for a long time. I'm long overdue in explaining why we chose specific words to teach each letter of the alphabet. This is pretty heavy stuff so I may break this post into two parts.
Part I:
The words were chosen to represent the initial sound each letter makes. For the five vowels a e i o u, the choice was very important as they they are the basis for our language or the alphabetic principle*. Vowels are also very tricky because the sound changes from word to word. The new English dictionary distinguishes twelve separate sounds for the letter "A" alone! Where to start? ALWAYS start by teaching the short vowel sound first. When it comes to consonants, always teach the hard sounds first. Eg: c pronounce like "k" (cat) and g (gum). The soft sounds of c (cent) and g (gym) should be introduced later.
When teaching the alphabet I have found that it most effective if the alphabet is introduced first with the letter name, then a picture representing the initial sound, and lastly the sound the letter makes. Got that? Say, "A apple aaaa". Also, when teaching short vowel sounds it is imperative that you use hand motions to accompany them. Here is a demonstration of how I teach the vowels with the hand motions.
Watch Video

For many years I've been working with children that require early intervention in order to succeed in an academic setting. Struggling, reluctant, challenged, it doesn't matter how they are labeled, they all need an extra nudge to keep up with their peers. Often, it is a matter of developmental delays. Sometimes students simply lack exposure and/or experiences, therefore having underdeveloped skills such as a limited vocabulary. Whatever the cause, early intervention is sure to help each child reach their full potential.

Teaching the alphabet to children in the primary grades; preschoolers, kindergartners, first graders, and occasionally the second grader involves much practice. This practice involves being repetitive and as long the instruction is participatory in nature it is exactly this repetitive practice that leads to success. What does this mean? Children need to be involved, they need to use their voices and experience how their mouth moves.

*The alphabetic principle is the basic idea that written language is a code in which letters represent the sounds in spoken
words.